Maria Zhang, a high level executive at Yahoo, was named in a sexual harassment suit filed Friday by her former female subordinate, a software engineer.
According to SiliconValley.com, Nan Shi said in the lawsuit she was promised "a bright future at Yahoo" if she acquiesced to the sexual advances of Zhang, which included "oral and digital sex." She did for a time, but after finally deciding to refuse said she was given a bad performance review and removed as a lead on her project. She claims she reported the matter to Yahoo, which put her on unpaid leave, and terminated her Friday.
Shi, who was born in China, had been working on Zhang's mobile-app startup in Seattle when it was purchased in 2013 by Yahoo. At that time, both relocated to a temporary housing unit in Sunnyvale, California.
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"I was in a deep sleep one morning, sleeping on the sofa because she had taken my bed, when she came in without clothes on, crawled into my blanket, and woke me up, hugging me, kissing my face and neck,'' Shi said in an interview Friday.
"I woke up and got scared; I was shocked. I said, what are you doing? She said she'd liked me a long time, but I didn't feel the same toward her. I said come on, we're friends; I love you as a person, but not as a lover.''
The suit alleges that "Zhang told Plaintiff [Shi] she would have a bright future at Yahoo if she had sex with her. She also stated she could take away everything from her including her job, stocks, and future if she did not do what she wanted.''
Allegations of sexual-harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and wrongful termination are all listed in the suit.
A Yahoo spokesperson responded to the allegations, releasing a statement that said in-part, "There is absolutely no basis or truth to the allegations against Maria Zhang. Maria is an exemplary Yahoo executive, and we intend to fight vigorously to clear her name."
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